Misty Fiords National Monument was created December 1, 1978, and covers 2,294,343 acres of Tongass National Forest in the panhandle of southeast Alaska. This unique fjord land is accessed only by water and air and crisscrossed with hundreds of swift-running streams, rivers and waterfalls, where five species of salmon follow unseen trails to the unspoiled waters of their birth. It was formed within the past 5 million years by volcanic activity, evidenced by a lava flow high above Punchbowl Cove, and then by glaciers carving fjords and inlets out of its granite mountains.The walls of its valleys are near vertical and often rise 2,000 to 3,000 feet above sea level and drop 1,000 feet below it. Once populated by thriving Tlingit villages, it was first visited by Europeans in 1793 when George Vancouver sailed through the Behm Canal, the prominent sea-filled trough along the monument’s western margin that separates it from Revillagigedo Island.  It was Vancouver who “discovered” New Eddystone Rock, a 237 foot tall column of basalt in the middle of Behm Canal. Small glaciers occupy high areas of the northeast part of the monument and peaks rise over 6000 feet above sea level. Western Hemlock, Sitka Spruce and Western Red Cedar dominate the prolific rainforest vegetation, while brown and black bears roam, mountain goats and deer graze, and whales and salmon navigate the waterways.

Misty Fiords is the meeting place of mist, mountain and sea. Glaciers have carved channels thousands of feet deep through mountains that are thousands of feet high. Countless un-named waterfalls drop from peaks often lost in the clouds into greenstone seas where we cruise in our venerable ship. Seldom visited, especially during the times of our spring and fall trips, this is an area to take in the essence of the tremendous forces that created SE Alaska.

We plan on spending 4 days in Misty Fiords and the remaining three days exploring the areas of Wrangell Narrows and Zimovia Strait. Wrangell Narrows provides a sheltered route for fishing boats, ferries, tugs and barges and private boats traveling the Inside Passage. Zimovia Strait is a less traveled, narrower and more serpentine passage that takes us past ancient Indian village sites. Transiting these iconic Alaskan channels is a rite of passage for all Northwestern navigators.
As with all Pacific Catalyst trips, we will select anchorages that provide solitude as well as opportunities for educational activities such as hiking and kayaking. Both spring and fall trips we are in areas where we have a good chances for bear viewing, seeing migratory birds, humpback and orca whales and to explore in depth the habitats that attract these animals to the region. There is something for everyone here, from the mariner who wants to learn the routes through the area, to the naturalist who seeks to check off some more boxes on their life list or those who find peace and balance in the wilderness, no one will leave disappointed.

2012:
Misty Fiords: Trip #1215 August 19-25, 2012
This trip will begin in Petersburg and end in Ketchikan